The newest attempt by the man convicted of killing Robert Kennedy in 1968 to get out of prison was rejected on Wednesday in California.
Despite there being some disagreement as to who actually fired the shots that most likely altered the path of US politics, Sirhan Sirhan, now 78, has been imprisoned for more than 50 years.
Kennedy, the younger brother of assassinated president John F. Kennedy, was shot and killed in a Los Angeles hotel while actively seeking the Democratic presidential ticket.
A California board rejected Sirhan’s most recent request for parole on Wednesday. He first became available for parole in 1972.
His release had been approved by a different court for August 2021, but California Governor Gavin Newsom overturned it in January of the following year.
Newsom, who is also a Democrat, said at the time that Sirhan “poses an unreasonable threat to public safety.”
He said the decision was based on several factors “including Mr. Sirhan’s refusal to accept responsibility for his crime.”
Sirhan was convicted and sentenced to death in 1969 after pleading guilty, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment several years later.
Since Sirhan’s trial, when it was disclosed that Kennedy was shot at point-blank range from behind while Sirhan was allegedly standing in front of him, questions have been raised about Sirhan’s guilt.
Later, it was revealed that up to 13 shots may have been fired, but Sirhan’s gun could only contain eight rounds.
